What is your child’s favorite time of year? I would bet it’s summer!

Our children seem to enjoy summer best…. warmth of the sun, walks, waterplay, playing on the playground, and other outdoor activities such as parks, zoos, ballgames, cookouts, as well as visiting family, friends, vacationing, and eating cool summer treats! Summer offers so much.

It’s like music to their ears!

Summer is also a great time to get our kids moving with mu-sic, rhythm and dance.

Inside you will find family-fun places to go with your child this summer and suggestions on making homemade musical instruments. Music, rhythm and dance is nurturing in the growth and development of our children.

Enjoy your child’s favorite time of the year!

On behalf the Rockford iGrow Collaborative and Home Visiting Team -

Happy Summer and Keep‘em Movin!!

-CBoyd

Summer: It’s like Music to their Ears!

Summer Playground Safety

2

Summer Top Tens 2

Angel Wolfe- Outstanding Accomplishment

3

Music to their Ears

3

Keep ‘em Movin!! 4

Inside this

issue:

iGrow Rockford

A local Home Visiting Collaborative of the Maternal Infant

Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHVP)

City of Rockford Early Head Start, La Voz Latina Resource Center,

Easter Seals Teen Family Support Program and

Rockford Public Schools #205

Summer 2015

PURPOSE OF THE IGROW NEWSLETTER

To keep clients informed

about our community’s

Home visiting Program.

To increase communication

and awareness with commu-

nity agencies, stakeholders,

and the community-at-large.

To provide a venue for infor-

mation-sharing between

home visitors, families, cli-

ents, advocates and friends

of iGrow.

Building strong foundations for families in our community

Rock it if you’ve Got it !!! Playing with instruments helps kids learn about rhythm

and sounds. Make instruments using everyday objects to

accompany songs.

An empty oatmeal or plastic container makes a great

drum.

A paper-towel roll can become a horn.

Chopsticks can be used as rhythm sticks.

Keys on a keychain can be used as jingle bells.

A plastic spoon and a table can become a miniature

drum set.

Source: Sesame Street

Page 2

More than

200,000

children

are taken

to the

emergen-

cy room

each year

as a result

of playground related injuries. Head and

face injuries are most common in children

under 4 years old.

Playground injures are preventable. These

are a few of the SAFE Model guidelines

when your children are playing on play-

grounds.

S - Supervise and Survey. Chil-dren need to be seen and visi-ble in crawl spaces. Rules should be posted. Survey by looking for broken glass, sharp objects.

A - Age appropriate Equipment. For 2-5 year olds consider activi-ty panels, tot swings, small slides and lower platforms.

F - Fall to safe surfaces. Surfac-ing must be provided under all equipment, and there must be

at least a 6 ft fall zone around

all equipment.

E - Equipment Maintenance. Check to make sure equipment is anchored safely into the ground, well maintained, free of broken parts, has no noticea-ble gaps less than 3 1/2 inches or more than 9 inches.

Summer safety

Top 10 Healthy Summer Foods for Children

1. Nachos & Quesadillas - Start with whole-wheat chips and tortillas for extra fiber, then add your favorite toppings.

2. Hamburgers & Hot dogs -Try light and reduced-fat hot dogs, including chicken and turkey dogs.

3. Ice Cream - Fudgesicles now come in fat-free or low-fat, and no SUGAR.

4. Frozen Yogurt - Read labels. Some have more sugar than low-fat ice cream.

5. Waffles & Pancakes - This is the classic breakfast fun-food for kids.

6. Marshmallows -To giving them a nutrition boost. Try skewering marshmallows with strawberries and other fruit.

7. Popcorn - Air-popping popcorn is your healthiest option.

8. Watermelon - Water melon is 92% water and 8% sugar, and a favorite sweet treat for kids.

9. Modifying Anything Sweet - Lighten up cake and brownie mixes by replacing oil with half oil and half ap-plesauce (or another fruit puree).

10.Thirst Quenchers -Share those huge lemonades -- divide it in cups. Dilute with a bit with water.

Adapted from the National Program for Playground Safety.

Top 10 tips for dressing your Toddler for Summer

1. Choose light weight

cotton fabrics.

2. Go for sun-blocking

clothes (like swim shirts

which are SPF 50).

3. Layer on sunblock.

4. Lighten up: go

sleeveless, pull-on shorts.

5. Embrace their nudist streak (indoors).

6. Include a wide brimmed hat / bonnet.

7. Wear sunglassses.

8. Pick smart sandals

9. Prepare for the pond.

10. Choose the perfect

summer weight pajamas. Source: WebMD

Source: Mom365

‘Summer’ - A popular name for Girls!

Page 3

Angel Wolfe has participated in the Easter Seals’ Teen Support Program for a year. Recently, she graduated from Honnonegah High School and received the Presidential Outstanding Aca-demic Achievement Award. During her senior year, Angel gave birth to a beautiful daughter Hazelyn (soon to be 8 months), while working part-time.

As a first time mom, Angel credits Easter Seals and her Family Support Worker for guidance and support. “Having the Easter Seals Program and my Family Support Worker has helped guide me during my pregnancy, and during the early beginnings of my daughter’s life. This has been an awesome and very privileged experience. I am so beyond grateful and impressed at how good and helpful this program is”.

Angel is focused on raising, loving and teaching her daughter Hazelyn who is reaching developmental milestones for her age.

Angel, a talented and amazing Mom, plans to attend Rock Valley College in the fall of this year.

We think Angel has a bright and successful future ahead.

Congratulations Angel on your Outstanding Accomplishment!!!

Music to their Ears!

Caption describing picture or graphic.

Angel Wolfe

Outstanding Academic Achievement

“I am so beyond grateful and

impressed at how good and helpful

this program is.”

-Angel Wolfe

Music has a power that goes beyond words. The shar ing of music builds connections between a parent and child as sounds and

rhythms surround the child in a world of sensations and feelings. Music offers joyful and rewarding learning experiences and nurtures

a child’s imagination and creativity.

Music introduces children to the sounds and meanings of words and helps strengthen memory skills. Alphabet and number songs like, “This

Old Man” help children remember letter and number sequences.

Bonding with your child through Music -Studies show that babies prefer the their parents’ voice over anyone else,

-Dance with your child. Play with musical objects-even a rattle and dance

to the rhythm.

Learning through Melodies and Movement -Music and dance go hand-in-hand. Dance with your child to a favorite recording.

-Make it more interesting by changing your movement when the music changes.

Music Creativity Connection -Have props to encourage creative movement, like scarves and batons.

-Music can be a good way to draw out the feelings of children. If they’re angry,

they can let off steam by doing a “Let Me Show You How Mad I Am” dance,

complete with whoops, hollers and stomps.

“Where words fail, music speaks” - Hans Christian Anderson

Source: Zero to Three

Keep ‘em movin... Fun Family Places to go!

Forest Preserve of Winnebago County

www.winnebagoforest.org

Lockwood Park Trailside Equestrian

and Children’s Farm

www.rockfordparkdistrict.org

Magic Waters Park

www.rockfordparkdistrict.org

Rockford Aviators Professional Baseball

www.rockfordaviators.com

Nickel World

www.nickelworld.com

Midway Village Museum

www.midwayvillage.com

Monkey Joe’s Parties & Play

www.monkeyjoes.com

Rockford Ice Hogs Pro Hockey

www.icehogs.com

Skateland

www.skatelandrocks.com

Rockford Park District

www.rockfordparkdistrict.org

Gymnastic Academy South Trampoline

Park

www.garsouth.com

Riverfront Museum Park

www.riverfrontmuseumpark.org

Klehm Aboretum and Botanic Garden

www.klehm.org

Burpee Museum of Natural History

www.burpee.org

Discovery Center Museum

www.discoverycentermuseum.org

Sinnisippi Park Music Shell

www.rockfordparkdistrict.org

Starlight Theatre at RockValley College

www.rockvalleycollege.edu

SmartypARTSrockford

www.smartypantsrockford.com

Rockford Arts Council

www.artsforeveryone.com

Children’s Theatre Project

www.ctpytp.com

Forest City Queen Riverboat

www.rockfordparkdistrict.org

Carlson Ice Arena & Sapora Playground

www.rockfordparkdistrict.org

Winnebago County Health Department Coordinated Intake and Referral 555 North Court Street Rockford, IL 61103 Phone: 815-720-4000

If you would like additional information about IGROW, referred, or placed

on our newsletter mailing list, please contact Coordinated Intake at: 815-

720-4000 or email us at: igrow@wchd.org..

Visit us at : igrowrockford.org Prior editions of iGrow Newsletters can be found at: wchd.org—Select Maternal and Child Health / iGrow Home Visiting Program. Newsletter Editor: C Boyd, WCHD-Community Systems Development Coord. Contributing Editor: J. Barker, WCHD– ACA In-Person Counselor Coord. Contributors to this issue: J. Revels, Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago- Rockford Region

This program was made possible by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010

which authorizes the creation of the Maternal Infant Early Childhood Education Home Visit-

ing (MIECHV) Program. Winnebago County Health Department serves as the lead agency.

The program is carried out in conjunction with four Rockford home visiting partnering

agencies, (listed below), in addition to the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Devel-

opment, IL Department of Human Services, and the State of Illinois.

iGrow Rockford Collaborative -Home Visiting Agencies

Easter Seals Metropolitan

Chicago - Rockford Region

815-965-5069 x 1233

Rockford Public Schools District#205

Early Childhood

Program

815-967-8030

City of Rockford Early Head Start -

779--348-7169

LaVoz Latina Resource Center

815-965-5784

Rockford Public Library

www.rockfordpubliclibrary.org

Trolley Car 36 at Riverview Park

www.rockfordparkdistrict.org

Volcano Falls Adventure Park

www.volcanofalls.com

YMCA

www.rockriverymca.org

Slide the City (Coming September)

www.slidethecity.com

Coral Cove Family Fun Center

www.coralcoveffc.com

Park Lanes Bowling Center

www.parklanesbowl.com

Anderson Japanese Gardens

www.andersonjapanesegardens.org

Artist Ensemble Theatre (Clark Arts

Center - Rockford University)

www.artistensemble.org

Coronado Performing Arts Center

www.coronadopac.org

Coco Key Water Resort

ww.cocokeyrockford.com